Remote control door operator



Aug. 12, 1941. w. GALEAZI 2,252,172

REMOTE CONTROL DOOR OPERATOR Filed April 5, .1940

Whrcn Pesss was my I INVENTOR. A I MLTEE 6141. EA 2/ Patented Aug. 12, .1941

' .OFFICE REMOTE CONTROL noon OPERATOR Walter Galeazi, San Francisco, Calif. Application April 5, 19.40,.S erial Maserati 4 Claims. (01.268-34) This invention relates to improvements inremote control door operators, and more particularly to a combined electrical control and hydraulic door opening mechanism.

Among the objects of the invention is to enable the driver of an automobile to open the garage doors without leaving the automobile.

Another object is to prevent the opening of the doors from without except by the means provided.

Another object is to prevent injury to the door mounting by the operation of the hydraulic ram.

Another object is to provide for the silent opening and closing of the doors. 7 A further object is to provide full automatic opening and closing of thedoors.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description progresses.

Broadly stated the invention consists of a remote control magnetic switch buried in the approach to the door. This switch'cont'rols a'relay circuit having magnetic fluid valves therein for admitting and discharging fluid pressure to a hydraulic ram to supply the force for opening the doors, applied through flexible means for and synchronously releasing the door latches.

The opening of the doors opensthe remote control circuit and closes a subcircuit and reverses the valve control to discharge the fluid pressure when the remote control circuit is subsequently closed by a manual switch.

The doors are closed and the various mechanisms restored to normal by gravity weights operating through flexible cables attached to their respective parts, or other form of door closers.

In this specification and the accompanying drawings theinventionis disclosed in its preferred form. But it is-to be understood that it isnot limited to this form, because it may be embodied in modifications within the spirit .of s the invention as defined in the claims'following the description. i

- inside oi the doors and latch equipment.

a Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail in vertical section of a-conventional magnetically controlled water valve-adapted to the present-purpose.

In detail the construction illustrated in the drawingcomprises the front-' wall ffragmentally -illustrated-at I 2 and the side walls 3,- 4. "The 'doors 5, 6 are hinged at 1, 8 respectively to the .door jambs 9, E0.

'The doors meet at the center,

theidoor 6 havingthe stop H overlying the meetingedge as usual.

i The hydraulic mechanism has, a supporting framejwith .the guide bars 1'2, [3 attached to the ceiling notshown, orto theceiling and front .wall above the door opening if architectural conditions permit. The cylinder I4 is mountedbetween these guide bars by the. interposed brack- 1 The frontend of the cylinder is closed by the T fitting 1H8. The. piston I9 is fixed on the end of. the piston rodtil which passes through the guide 2| in the oppositeend of thecylinder. The cross-head .22.isfixed on the' outer end of the piston rod andis guided bythe flanged rollers 23, 24' ridingon the guide bars l2, 13. The lineal extensions of these bars have been broken away in the interest-ofclarityin the drawing.

. The cable 25 is fixed. to the side of the crosshead. 22; passes around the pulley 26 on the bracket "27, that is mounted on the frame of the guide bar I2; thence through the pulley 28, attached to the side wall 3; thence down over --thepulley 29 and is attached to the end of the arm 30,- pivoted to the door 5 at 3|, see Fig. 2.

- opposite end of-the-cross-head 22; passes around the pulley 36 on the bracket 31, that is mounted on the frame ofthe guidebar l3; thence through the 'pulley38 attached to the side wall 4; thence to-the bracket 39,extending outwardly from the I door 6.

Tliedoors aresynchronously unlatched and -openedbythe pull 'ofthe cables 25, 35. The

doors are closed by the counter balancing weights 1. 40, 4| ontheir respective cables 42, 43, passing around the pulleys M; mounted on the front wall l-2 and around their respective pulleys 4B,

41 mounted on the ceiling overhead, and have their ends. fixed to their respective brackets 39, 48. These counterweights' w, 4! rise as their respective doorsswing open. -The spring latches 3|, 32, automatically lock the door '5 when it closes;

The fluid pressure medium such as city water service entersthrough the pipe 49, through the i magnetically operated inlet valve 50, see Fig. 3,

into and out ofthecylinder '14 through the T fltting18, and is dischargedthrough the outlet valve 5 i and the overflowpipe 52.

The remote control switch at A, is preferably of the mercury contact type. It consists of the sealed casing 53 having the mercury 54. The armature 55 is pivoted at 55 in the casing and has the contactor 55 adapted to dip into the mercury to close the circuit represented by the wires 57, 53, respectively terminating in the mercury 55 and the armature 55.

The casing 53 has the external pole piece of soft iron 59 arranged in proximity to the armature 55 and to the electromagnet 60 mounted on the automobile not shown. This magnet generates a magnetic field to swing the armature 55 against the counter balance 56 when the switch 62 in the automobile is closed to pass the current from the battery 53 through themagnet 50. This causes the contact 55 to dip into the mercury 5d closing the circuit 57, 53 and ad mitting the main line service 64, $5 to flow in through the transformer B.

The relay magnet 56 at C is energized through the wire 53 and the six volt take ofi from the transformer at B through the wire 51. Energizing the relay at C, attracts the armature 68, which closes the twenty four volt sub-circuit over the wire .69, through the normally closed switch T8 at D; thence over the wire 7.! back to the twenty four volt take off from the transformer B.

Energizing the relay at C, close the contact through the armature 68; permitting current to flow over the wire 12, across the switch 13, the wire 74, through the magnet 15, over the Wire 16, over the wire 5'! back to the transformer at B, completing the circuit.

A third circuit is closed by the relay switch 15 at E, causing current to flow across the contacts (1, 18. Contacts 19, are also closed because the switch at E is double pole. Service current 110 volts-can now flow from wire 65 over wire 83, contacts 79, 85, wire at H, switch 85, wire 86 to the magnetic valve 55 and return over wire 81 to the main service wire 54 to open the inlet valve 50.

The opening of the inlet valve 58 admits fluid pressure into the cylinder I4 behind the piston to unlatch the doors at 3|, 32 and swing them open through the operation of their respective cables 25, 35 as previously described.

The switch 7.5 at D is normally closed by the cross head 22 when the doors 5, 6 are closed and the hydraulic mechanism is collapsed. As the cross head advances the switch 10 at D opens, but this is of no consequence because of the new circuit over the wire 8|, previously described.

When the cross-head 22 reaches the end of its outward stroke, the lug 88 on the cross-head opens the switches 13, 85 at G and H respectivein multiple across the wires 51, 58 is closed. This energizes the relay 66, which breaks the circuit through the relay 15 over the Wire 9!, permitting the switch 19 at E to drop and close the discharge valve contact 92 permitting current to flow from the service Wire 83 o ver the wire 93 to the contact 94, across the switch 79, and over the wire 95 to energize the discharge valve 5|; thence over the wire 96 and over the wire 81 to the main wire 64.

The opening of the discharge valve 5| permits the fluid pressure to flow from the cylinder [4, and the counterweights 40 and 4| to close their respective doors 5, 6 in unison and restores the apparatus to normal with all control circuits open for a repeat operation of the automatic door opening, previously described.

While the manual switch is provided for opening and closing the doors, it is obvious that a magnetic mercury switch such as A provided beneath the automobile in the garage could be provided to be operated by the magnetic field at 66, for the same purpose.

Thus equipped the driver could take his seat in the automobile and close the switch 62 and back out of the garage after the doors opened. By pausing over the remote switch at A the door could be automatically closed by closing the switch- 62. The doors can be either opened or closed from the drivers seat without leaving the automobile whether it be without or within the garage.

To facilitate the return of the hydraulic ram to normal or closed position, the cable 97 is attached to the cross-head 22 and passed around the necessary pulleys to suspend the counterweight 98.

In this disclosure the mechanism for a pair of hinged doors has been illustrated and described. It is obvious however that the same general structure and mode of operation would open and close a single door of conventional design.

Having thus described this invention what is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent is: r

1. A door operator in the class described, including a door pivotally mounted on a building structure; automatic door closing means interposed between said door and structure; a hydraulic' ram on said structure and having an extensible piston rod with a cross head thereon; flexible door opening means connected to said cross-head and door; a pressure inlet conduit to said ram from a source of supply; a discharge conduit from said ram; a magnetic valve in said inlet conduit; a magnetic valve in said discharge conduit; an electric circuit having a remote control switch therein adapted to control the opening and closing of said door and including said magnetic valves; and subcircuits in said electric circuit having means therein controlled by said cross-head and adapted to maintain said door open when said piston rod is extended and toopensaid magnetic discharge valve when said remote control switch is closed to permit the closing of said door by said closing means.

2. A door operator in the class described, including a door vertically pivoted on a building structure; automatic door closing means interposed between said door and structure; a latch on said door; a hydraulic ram on said structure and having an extensible piston rod with a crosshead thereon; flexible door opening means connected to said latch and cross-head and running through a pulley on said structure; a pressure inlet conduit to said ram from a source of supply and having a magnetic inlet valve therein; and a magnetic valve controlling the discharge from said ram; an electric circuit having a remote control switch therein and including said magnetic valves; whereby said switch controls the opening and closing of said door; and subcircuits in said electric circuit having means therein controlled by said cross-head and adapted to maintain said door open when piston rod is extended and to open said magnetic discharge valve when said remote control switch is closed, to permit the closing of said door by said closing means.

3. A door operator in the class described, including a pair of doors vertically pivoted in opposed relation on a building structure; latching means engaging said doors; door closing means interposed between said doors and said structure; a ram on said structure and having an extensible piston rod with a cross head thereon; flexible door opening means extending between said cross-head and said latch and running through a pulley on one door and said structure, respectively; and another flexible door opening means extending between said cross-head and the other door; a pressure inlet conduit to said ram from a source of supply and having a magnetic inlet valve therein; and a magnetic outlet valve controlling the discharge from said ram; an electric circuit having a remote control switch therein; and subcircuits in said electric circuit having means therein controlled by said cross-head and adapted to maintain said doors open when said piston rod is extended and to open said magnetic discharge valve when said remote control switch is closed, to permit the closing of said doors by said closing means, and

to close said discharge valve and open said inlet valve when said piston rod is retracted, and said remote control switch is again closed.

4. A door operator in the class described, including a pair of doors vertically pivoted in opposed relation on a building structure having side walls; door closing means attached to said doors by flexible means running through pulleys on said side walls, respectively, to close said doors; fluid pressure means on said structure above said doors and having an extensible member parallel with the plane of said walls; flexible door opening means extending between said extensible member and said doors and running through pulleys on said side walls, respectively; a pressure inlet conduit to said pressure means and having an inlet valve therein; an outlet conduit from said pressure means and having an outlet valve therein; means for closing said outlet valve when said extensible member is retracted and said inlet valve is closed; and remote control means for said valves, whereby said inlet valve may be opened to open said doors when the extensible member is retracted and to open said discharge valve and close said inlet valve when said extensible member is extended, to permit said doors to be closed by said door closing means.

WALTER GALEAZI. 

